


Just Smile at Me

by GlitchTheRoboticShadow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I didn't plan this fic really it just happened, M/M, Pining!Keith, broganes, depiction of a broken nose jsyk, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 15:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11923896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitchTheRoboticShadow/pseuds/GlitchTheRoboticShadow
Summary: Keith didn't like Lance's fake smile, that one he did whenever he would flirt with Allura or any other breathing being. Keith liked Lance's real smile, the one he used when talking to his friends. Lance never smiled at Keith like that. And that's all Keith really wanted; for Lance to smile at him.





	Just Smile at Me

Keith didn’t want to call it pining, because it honestly wasn’t. He didn’t sit around fantasizing about Lance dramatically confessing his love before they went off to make out in a broom cupboard. But he certainly had a fixation on the blue pilot and it was bugging him to his core, the worst part being that he couldn’t differentiate whether the obsession or the lack of reciprocation was what irked him so much.

Luckily, the befuddled state of his brain didn’t appear to seep into overt blatancy seeing as Lance hadn’t tuned in on it. And Keith was certain that if Lance had, he’d never shut up about it. The last thing his teammate needed was a boost to his ego and something to hold over Keith’s head. God, his stomach twisted uncomfortably just at the thought of it.

But even the -quite frankly terrifying- prospect of Lance learning of Keith’s little bout of mania wasn’t enough to deter him from staring incredulously at Lance as he danced around Allura in some spectacularly horrifying courting ritual that had Keith wanting to rip his hair out in both secondhand embarrassment and irritation.

Keith’s cheek was squished against the palm of his hand as his elbow rested on the counter, his glare leaving palpable trails of aimless animosity drifting through the air. He hated when Lance did this show of bravado. It was one thing to hit on every sentient being of an appropriate age, it was another for him to relentlessly flirt with Allura while looking _pained_ from doing so.

“That’s not his _real_ smile.” Keith muttered to himself, ever familiar with the many ins-and-outs of Lance’s facial expressions from the obscene amount of time he spent staring at that stupidly attractive face. If Keith didn’t know any better, he’d think the only thing holding Lance back from actually winning over everyone he flirted with was his obnoxious pick-up lines. And yet even that ridiculous aspect of Lance’s personality still managed to elicit something in Keith’s gut that he really didn’t want to reflect on.

But with all of Keith’s staring and unadmitted swooning, he still found that smile to be annoying as all hell. Because it wasn’t a real smile, it was that smile carefully crafted and put into place when Lance was doing something either because he thought it was expected of him, or because he needed to boast his fabricated over-the-top ego to hide his bruised self-esteem.

“ _I_ know his real smile and that isn’t it.” Keith whispered under his breath as he watched Lance bounce out of the room after Allura, who was wearing an awfully tight smile as she let Lance ramble on.

“You know, I can hear you mumbling darkly over there but none of it’s registering. If you’re trying to start a conversation, Batman, I suggest upping the volume so us humans can actually hear what you’re saying.” Pidge said without even looking up from whatever contraption they were working in their lap. It was still a wonder to Keith how Pidge managed to curl up in a barstool as if it were an armchair.

“Sorry.” Keith grumbled, straightening up in his seat. “I just hate when Lance does that _thing._ ”

“Oh yeah, _the thing_ , of course.” Keith could practically hear the eye-roll in Pidge’s voice as they ignored the little shower of sparks that erupted from the cube they were fiddling with. “Keith, I am all for appreciating the mystery of the Guessing Game but I don’t think it suits casual conversation outside of your preschool classroom.”

Keith groaned as he shoved his face into his hands, his theatricality not lost to himself but he found no part of him wanting to reel it in. “I’m talking about when he does that smile, where it doesn’t reach his eyes and it’s just for show and is so fake that it puts the moon landing to shame.”

“Wait, what?” Pidge snorted, actually swiveling in their chair to face Keith. “You don’t believe in the moon landing? Dude, we’re in _space-_ “

“My point,” Keith barreled on harshly, “is that this smile is dumb and I’ve seen his real one and it’s ten times better.”

Pidge made an exasperated sound, as if they couldn’t believe they were having a discussion about the many facets of Lance’s smile. “Not that this conversation isn’t absolutely riveting, but have you considered talking to Lance about this? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you droning on about his mouth for a few hours; it would probably do you both some good.”

“No, no, I’m just…ranting I guess. I just- I don’t understand why he does it? He smiles genuinely at you and Hunk, even Shiro and Allura if he isn’t trying to initiate a mating ritual with her.” Keith sighed, folding his arms onto the counter, letting his head drop onto them, looking akin to someone who ordered their sixth shot with only three dollars left in their bank account. “He never smiles at me like that.”

Pidge seemed unamused at this notion, taking to jabbing their screwdriver into the metal cube in almost sporadic motions, an annoyed sound getting caught in their throat. Keith didn’t know if it was directed at him or the apparently stubborn machine. He hoped it was the latter. “He smiles at you all the time, what are you even talking about?”

“I mean, yeah, he smiles at me sometimes but not _that_ smile, the one where your cheeks get sore just from looking at it.” Keith explained forlornly, feeling that he should be in a Jane Austen novel instead of whatever cruel Shakespearean play that his life was basing itself off of. Perhaps equating the lack of a smile to that of the tragic writings of Shakespeare such as Romeo and Juliet _may_ have been on the dramatic side but Keith truly felt that his distress could be woven into a beautifully disastrous sonnet.

“Dude, you’re pining hardcore. Trust me, Lance looks at you with just as much dopiness as you do him, but when you’re not looking because he can apparently strategize better than you.” Pidge said, amused as they took the screwdriver by its head and started lightly thwacking the side of the cube with the handle.

Keith shot up in his chair, looking scandalized at the accusation that he was pining over Lance. He tried to hide the blush crawling over his face at the image of Lance staring at him when his back was turned and- shit, maybe he was pining.

* * *

Keith was determined to see Lance’s smile. He’d mulled it over, trying to grasp the rather preposterous idea that Lance would ever show affection toward him and came to the single conclusion that he could not let Lance win. If he was smiling at Keith behind his back, well, that clearly meant that he was trying to hide his admiration for the red paladin and that just wasn’t going to cut it. Keith wanted to see Lance genuinely smile at him.

“I’m gonna do it.” Keith said determinedly from his spot on the couch.

“Listen, dude, if this is about you finally swiping your V card, we really don’t-“ Pidge was cut off by Hunk’s hand covering their mouth accompanied by a horrified gasp.

“You’re _fourteen_ ,” Hunk whispered in alarm, “who corrupted your innocent mind?”

Pidge forced his hand off of their mouth, almost knocking over the chess pieces they were using. “Lance, but unintentionally. And this isn’t about _me_ ; this is about Cryptid Number One over here trying to suckle curious prodding out of us.”

“I’m not trying to suckle anything.” Keith spat defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. He was painfully aware of the plentiful amount of similarities between him and a petulant child but he was choosing to ignore them.

“Except for Lance’s-“

“Lance’s what? My awesome flip I did yesterday in training?” Lance appeared in the doorway and it was like seeing the devil himself rise from Hell just to torment Keith and all he could do was hide behind his overgrown mullet and hope his strife didn’t manifest in crimson waves on his skin.

Lance didn’t seem to notice, however, as he sat down _way too_ close to Keith, their knees practically touching. Keith squished against the armrest, trying in vain to create some distance between them but, unfortunately, Lance was inclined toward manspreading.

“Nothing.” Keith bit out, practically folding in on himself. Right, really inconspicuous.

“Come on, guys! You know you don’t have to hide your love of me from _me!_ I am my number one fan, after all.” Lance’s arms found their way over the back of the couch, his fingers just brushing the back of Keith’s hair. It was like a feather had just been dusted over the nape of his neck, sending goosebumps down his back.

“We were just-“ Pidge started and grunted angrily from being interrupted once again as Hunk pulled them up by their arm.

“-Leaving.” Hunk finished with a heavy sigh, clearly resigned to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to control Pidge from saying anything that would haunt more than one of them for years to come.

Keith was glad that Pidge was being mercilessly dragged away but he really, _really_ didn’t want to be left alone with Lance. Usually he was a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy but Lance managed to make him doubt every move he made. No, in order to get Lance to smile at him without revealing his insanely obvious feelings for him, he’d need a plan.

* * *

“I’m a good liar, right? Like, I’m good at keeping secrets?” Keith wiped the hair sticking to his forehead away before using a washcloth to dry the sweat.

Shiro chuckled, that big brother chuckle. He used it whenever he was amusing a kid, or in this case, Keith. He was a little offended by that, but he pushed that aside, hoping to get an earnest answer from Shiro.

“I don’t know, Keith. You’re a skilled fighter and you’re very headstrong.” Shiro dabbed the back of his neck with his own washcloth, intently avoiding Keith’s eyes. Great, now he was listing Keith’s positive attributes to soften the blow. “You don’t really need to be cunning; you’re a paladin not a spy.”

Keith sat on the bench, defeated. “I’m not talking about being a paladin.”

Shiro nodded his head in understanding, taking a seat next to Keith. “Is this about Lance?”

God. Well, that answered Keith’s question.

Keith just sighed, slinking further down the wall he was resting against. Insecurity really didn’t suit him but it seemed to be sprouting from him like daisies.

“Lance is…he’s very perceptive.” Shiro said, wringing his hands in his lap. Something told Keith that this really wasn’t his area of expertise but the guy felt such a moral obligation to hold everyone on the team up that he was willing to give it a shot. “ _But_ I don’t think he knows. I think there’s something about you that clouds his judgement sometimes.”

Shiro smiled down at him, slapping a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of solidarity. Keith didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, that he _clouds Lance’s judgement,_ but he couldn’t dwell on the thought or his mind and heart might start racing like it was the Olympics. Better to change the subject and get his blood pumping in another way.

Shiro seemed to sense this, standing up and offering a hand to a slouched Keith. “Let’s just get back to sparring, huh?”

* * *

Something about this felt like cruel irony. Like a cosmic force was fucking with Keith and that this was righteous retribution for all those impulsive and stupid things he’d done before. Because what else could possibly explain _Lance_ pinning _Keith_ during training? As if anything like that could ever occur in this reality. Or maybe it could, because apparently it _did,_ and the embarrassment of being beaten was soon going to be overshadowed by Keith’s attraction showing itself in a very obvious form.

Keith wasn’t sure if Shiro was on his side or not, after all, the guy had paired him and Lance up for practice but he was also the one that saved Keith, telling them to get back up and restart.

This, of course, didn’t come without a _get it together, Keith. You have to stay focused._ Which, in all fairness Keith deserved. He knew that he didn’t really have his head in the game. It was almost as if Lance could sense it, that something was off. He’d grinned a malicious, devastating smile, one born from the cockiness of knowing you’d overpower your prey. And, well, _maybe_ Keith could’ve avoided the tackle and actually done something with Lance’s telegraphing but instead he got caught up on that damn _smile_.

And then he was pinned against the cold floor, oddly turned on, entirely horrified, absolutely embarrassed, and frankly, rather pissed.

He pushed himself up from the floor, brushing himself off and pointedly ignoring the smug face Lance was making. He could feel the others’ eyes on him, Shiro’s especially piercing. He glanced over at them; Shiro had his arms folded over his chest, his eyebrows low over his eyes. He was watching Keith, and Keith knew that he could see the irritation wafting off him like smoke. Who was he irritated with? Who knows, anyone, everyone? It didn’t matter. He just needed to win, not for his ego but to convince some part of himself that he wasn’t so entranced with Lance as to actually get his ass handed to him.

They started again, circling each other, _like a dance,_ Keith thought to himself before refocusing on his stance. He watched Lance carefully, all his languid movements, the determination in his eyes and the way his lips pursed slightly in concentration, twitching like they were also amused. Shit. Right. Focus on what Lance is _doing,_ not what he looks like.

Suddenly Lance lunged and Keith…Keith wouldn’t say he wasn’t prepared because he _was,_ it’s just that he may have been a little too prepared and a little too out of it to rein things in. Lance stumbled backwards, hands clutching his face as his eyes grew in horror.

“What the _fuck_ , man?!”

“Oh shit,” Keith gasped, rushing over to Lance. But there wasn’t anything he could do but raise his hands to Lance’s face like he wanted to do something but could only hover awkwardly. “Lance, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what- I just-“

“Is it bad?” Lance slowly removed his hands from his face, revealing a very bloodied nose and jaw. Keith had seen a lot in his time, just like the others, so he managed not to flinch at the sight, but something must have given him away because Lance whimpered like a kicked puppy. Or a punched puppy, Keith supposed.

“Keith, go get an icepack.” Shiro said, quickly coming over to assess the damage. Shiro gently took Lance’s chin in his fingertips, tilting his head back slightly to get a better look. Keith knew there was nothing to be jealous of, but he still felt it spike in his gut. He had hurt Lance, genuinely, physically hurt him and now Shiro was cleaning up his mess and being Lance’s hero. Not that Keith wanted to be anyone’s hero, but it was still hard to look at, so he turned away and left to get an icepack.

When he returned, Lance was significantly less bloody. They’d managed to fix him up a bit, cleaning his face with a cloth and stopping the bleeding. Now it just looked like a bruised mess.

“Here.” Keith said as he handed over the cool compress. Lance took it and carefully applied it to his nose. “I’m really sorry, man.”

Lance shrugged, “it’s okay, my face is still as handsome as ever. No real damage done.”

Keith rolled his eyes but smiled. He was relieved that Lance wasn’t mad. He didn’t really expect him to be, in a complicated way, Lance just wasn’t really like that.

“I got distracted and reacted instinctively. It was stupid.” Keith sat down next to Lance. They were sitting closely again but Keith didn’t try to move away.

“Yeah, I noticed that. Heh, tried to take advantage of it, but-“ Lance gestured to his mess of a face. He leaned his head back against the wall. “You okay, dude? You looked kind of far away that whole time. Don’t usually see that with you.”

“Yeah,” Keith sighed. “I’m just…it’s hard to explain. I am really sorry, though, seriously.”

“I know.” Lance said, moving his eyes from the ceiling to Keith.

“Keith, can I talk to you for a minute?” Shiro called from across the arena.

“Shit.” Keith muttered, pushing himself up from the ground. Here it comes; the Shiro lecture. Except this one would be ten times worse because it would undoubtedly involve Shiro talking about Keith’s feelings for Lance.

“Don’t worry; he won’t be _too_ hard on you. You’re his favorite.”

Keith flipped Lance off behind his back, making his way over to Shiro. He could feel Lance staring at him as he walked across the room, the hairs on his neck standing up from the scrutiny. Keith glanced over his shoulder but Lance was already looking away.

He’d been smiling at Keith, he knew it in his gut, but he’d missed it. Of course.

* * *

“So, did Shiro totally chew you out?” Lance stood in Keith’s bedroom doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. The swelling in his nose had gone down, but he now had some bruising under his eyes. Coran had managed to splint it to make sure it didn’t heal crooked. In short, Lance looked worse for wear.

Shiro had chewed him out, but in that concerned way parents usually did when they knew something else was going on. _I know it can be hard liking someone, especially in your teens._ He had said. It all felt worse with the way Shiro looked down at him from his taller height, eyebrows pinched in worry. _But you have to be careful. Someone could get hurt, this time it was just in training and Lance is fine, but when we’re out there in our lions, it can be life and death. We can’t afford to lose an ounce of concentration._

Keith had reassured him that such a thing would never happen during an actual battle. Sure, Keith was a little out of it during 1v1 sparring with Lance, but that was a totally different situation. Shiro had only nodded his head.

“I survived, at least.” Keith answered. He didn’t like looking directly at Lance’s face, it made him feel guilty. “You know you could just get in a healing pod for an hour or two.”

Lance shrugged, taking that as his invitation to fully come into the room. “Feels kind of ridiculous to get into a pod for a broken nose.”

“Have you looked in the mirror? I don’t think anyone would find it ridiculous. That shit looks like it hurts.” Another pang of guilt as he said it but he swallowed it down.

Lance laughed, trying not to move his face too much. “I’ve been trying to avoid all reflective surfaces in fear of having a panic attack over my compromised beauty.”

Lance seemed to be moving closer, slowly, until he finally sat down next to Keith on his bed. Keith’s heart started pounding in his chest. He felt like a cartoon character and soon it would actually burst. Dying from a crush was too comical and too poetic for Keith, so he tried to calm himself, even as Lance looked straight at him.

“I don’t want you to feel guilty, it’s training, it happens.” Keith didn’t say how it hadn’t happened to the others, or how it was all caused by him being too obsessed with Lance’s mouth, apparently. Instead he just nodded. “And I know there’s…something going on with you and I’m not really _the best_ person to come to but you always have the option. Just so you know. I’ve been told I’m _pretty good_ at giving advice.”

Keith snorted. “Really, by whom?”

Lance looked away, tilting his head. “You know, people. In general. I was very loved at the Garrison, I’ll have you know.”

“Yeah, I’m sure the ladies were lining up.” Keith deadpanned.

“The boys, too.” Lance smirked his annoying smirk and it sent heat down to Keith’s toes.

“Right.” He muttered under his breath, less of a response to Lance and more of him trying to keep his head clear. He kept his eyes focused on his lap, he couldn’t meet Lance’s gaze, not after _that._

“See, like that! You’re all blushy and abashed. You’re not usually like that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute but it’s just out of the ordinary for you.”

Keith couldn’t help but look at him now. His face felt like fire and obviously Lance could see it and that just made it _worse_ and god- Lance had just called him cute. What the fuck, he couldn’t just say that. And, wow, Lance was smiling at him. _That_ smile, the one Keith had been thinking about an inane amount and it was just as blinding as it was when he looked at the others.

But it almost hurt this time, the intensity of it being directed at Keith was almost too much. He wanted to look away but he was utterly enthralled by it- by Lance.

“You’re smiling at me.” It came out a quiet whisper, escaping his lips not of his own volition. It was painful, the way his whole body was thrumming with energy, like someone had just plugged him into a socket.

“Well, yeah.” If Keith wasn’t mistaken, Lance’s cheeks were red too. That certainly didn’t help the situation.

“But you- you never smile at me like that.” Keith almost felt indignant. This wasn’t some blasé thing, this was huge! This was a milestone but Lance was acting like it was just…What? Some normal thing?

Lance scoffed, but his smile stayed intact, only his face was closer now. It felt like they were gravitating toward each other, like the universe was pulling them together. “I smile at you all the time.”

“Yeah but not like that-not like _this._ ” Keith said, his breathing short.

“Maybe because this is different.”

Keith breathed a startled _oh,_ before Lance was leaning in and kissing him so, so gently. Keith wasn’t entirely sure their lips were even touching, it was so light. Lance had his head turned carefully, as to not hit his nose, but Keith stayed utterly still, rigid as a pole. Then he melted, the blood flowing through his veins turned to fire and ice. He could feel every beat of his heart pumping through him.

Lance moved back and it immediately felt like a part of Keith was missing, he wanted to pull him in and become whole again. But he didn’t. They sat there, looking at each other.

Keith had thought he’d need a plan for this, to get Lance to smile at him like he was now. But he didn’t. He didn’t need anything, because this was how Lance felt and it was so much better than any scheme could’ve turned out.

Lance took Keith’s hand in his own. “I’m glad you broke my nose.”

Keith didn’t know how to respond, so he laughed, because it felt right. And then Lance was laughing too.

**Author's Note:**

> So umm I barely edited this and it's a mess but hopefully it's an enjoyable one. Feedback, as usual, is very much appreciated!  
> (find me at paladonewithyourattitude on tumblr and hmu lol)


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